“All Defense”: Kyle Busch Comes to ‘Smart’ Denny Hamlin’s Rescue After Richmond Restart Sparks Controversy

A lot has already been said about Denny Hamlin’s controversial restart during the Toyota Owners 400 race at Richmond Raceway. The No. 11 JGR driver has already not been in the good books of the fans, and his antics during last Sunday’s race have further riled them up. Due to this, several experts and NASCAR pundits have offered their opinions on the whole scenario. The majority of them questioned the driver’s motive for launching early ahead of the restart zone.

However, his former teammate, Kyle Busch, has now joined in the conversation with his interesting take. Stating that Hamlin’s jump on the restart zone was his only mode of defense against aggressors like Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr.

Kyle Busch defends Hamlin’s controversial restart tactics in Richmond

As far as rules are concerned, they are black and white, and given that the No. 11 driver jumped the restart, he should have been reprimanded. This was the suggestion made by Busch while speaking with Kenny Wallace. However, he soon made a quick turn and tried to justify Hamlin’s preemptive measures, based on the explanation Steve Letarte and Todd Gordon made on NASCAR’s social handles.

Explaining how Logano and Truex Jr were plotting their moves, Busch said, “They are all trying to time that roll and momentum because they know the restart zone where it is. So as the leader, you’re already kind of at a disadvantage… Denny is very smart, he’s very calculated, and he understands a lot of things very well. He is probably looking in his mirror or looking in his rearview screen and seeing this happening around him and seeing it develop. So he wants to go early to put those guys back on their heels, and I believe that’s what he did.”

He added the element of how similar the NextGen cars are, Hamlin virtually had no advantage if he had waited longer to make the restart. “It was all defense, you know. Like I said, as the leader you have the advantage of being able to restart when you want to restart. But unfortunately, it’s in a zone so they know that you’re going to go within that zone, and with these cars and everything all being so similar it’s not like restart ratios you can have any sort of advantage. You’re all with the same stuff.”

Wallace also mentioned a similar situation that unfolded back in 2016, where Joey Logano used similar tactics and wrecked Carl Edwards, who was in the leading position, coming to restart.

Joey Logano’s big wreck during the 2016 championship race at Homestead Miami

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The Ford Eco Boost 400 would provide us with a better understanding of what Denny Hamlin was trying to avoid. With 10 laps to go in the race, Card Edwards was in the leading position, and Logano was just behind him. Coming to the restart zone on the front stretch, Edwards was trying to shake off the 22 Penske car, but his efforts were in vain. Logano shoved the No. 19 car ahead of him and sparked a huge pile-up. Edwards was in contention to win the championship, but the damage to his car was beyond repair. This resulted in a DNF for him and thus a crushing blow to his aspirations of winning the championship.

Unfortunately, this was Edwards’s last ever NASCAR Cup Series race, as he decided to call it quits after the 2016 season. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson emerged victorious at Homestead and clinched a historic seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship to his name. Logano nearly missed out on his chance, as his fourth-place finish saw him finish just behind, Johnson in second place in the overall championship standings.

Looking at the substance at hand and the circumstances of the race in Richmond, maybe Hamlin avoided a tragic end to his race in Richmond. Therefore, he had no other option but to jump the restart to make the most of his advantageous position.

Read More: NASCAR Deems Controversial Richmond Restart Decision ‘Right’ to Claim Denny Hamlin ‘Earned’ the Advantage